1. Field
The present invention generally relates to an ultrasonic probe, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic probe having a device for coupling a wire-rope to a transducer for use with an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
2. Background
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is widely used to diagnose a subject by visualizing a portion of the subject's body. For example, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus diagnoses a subject by detecting alien substances of organs, measuring the level of a lesion, or observing a tumor or a fetus. Such ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus generally employs various ultrasonic probes in order to obtain information on a subject's body. The ultrasonic probe has a transducer, which emits ultrasonic waves into an inspection portion of a subject and receives the reflected ultrasonic waves therefrom to convert the reflected ultrasonic waves into electric signals. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus processes the electric signals from the ultrasonic probe, thereby forming an ultrasonic mage that shows the inspection portion of a subject's body. In the recent years, ultrasonic probes configured to rotate the transducer are used to obtain a more accurate or three-dimensional ultrasonic image. Such ultrasonic probes employ a device for rotating a transducer therein. The device for rotating a transducer may be configured to transmit a drive force from a drive motor to the transducer via a pair of wire-ropes, which can absorb a shock produced during a rotation of the transducer.
One example of a prior art ultrasonic probe for conducting a three-dimensional imaging is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the prior art ultrasonic probe includes a cover 10, which may be in contact with a subject to be inspected and a case 20 for accommodating a transducer with a plurality of ultrasonic elements. The transducer may be rotated in the cover 10 so that three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging can be made.
A device for rotating the transducer is mounted inside the case 20. The device comprises: a step motor 110; a speed reducer having a drive pulley (not shown), a driven pulley 130 and a belt 120 connecting the drive pulley and the driven pulley 130; a wire-rope holder 150 coupled to the speed reducer by a shaft 140; a transducer 170 having a plurality of ultrasonic elements and a rotating shaft 175; and a pair of wire ropes 160, one ends of which are connected to the wire-rope holder 150 and the other ends of which are connected to both lateral sides of the transducer 170. The wire-rope holder 150 includes a buffer spring 151 for absorbing a shock on the wire-ropes 160 during rotation of the transducer 170.
The transducer 170 includes: a plurality of the ultrasonic elements 171; a transducer holder 172 for coupling the transducer to the rotating shaft 175; and a pair of wire-rope guides 173 having a slit 174 for coupling the other end of each wire-rope 160 thereto. Thus, one end of each wire-rope 160 is knotted to the wire-rope holder 150, while the other end thereof is coupled to the slit 174 of the wire-rope guide 173.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the wire-rope holder 150 has a buffer spring 151, both ends of which are bent like a hook. One end of each wire-rope 160 is knotted to each end of the buffer spring 151. A coupler 162 is provided at the other end of each wire-rope 160. The one end of the wire-rope 160 is inserted in the slit 174 as the coupler 162 is caught in the slit 174.
In the above-described ultrasonic probe, one end of each wire-rope 160 is first caught by each end of the buffer spring 151, while the other end thereof is then hooked to the slit 174 of the transducer 170. Accordingly, there is a problem with the wire-rope coupling of the prior art ultrasonic probe in that the worker must apply a large force to each wire rope 160. This is so that the buffer spring 151 expands sufficiently enough in order to hook the other end of the wire-rope to the slit 174.
There is a further problem with the prior art ultrasonic probe in that a tension applied to the wire-rope cannot be adjusted since the length of the wire-rope cannot be changed once the ultrasonic prove is assembled.